Sheet feeding and buckling device for rotary duplicators



Nov. 20, 1956 w. R-ITZERFELD ET AL 2,771,027

SHEET FEEDING AND BUCKLING DEVICE FOR ROTARY DUPLICATORS Filed Jan. 21, 1955 MLHELM RrrzERFap A/ID QERHARD Rl'TZERF LD we M 2 f 4 WV United States Patent SHEET FEEDING AND BUCKLING DEVICE FOR ROTARY DUPLICATORS Wilhelm Ritzerfeld, Berlin-Dahlem, and Gerhard Ritzer- The invention relates to duplicators and more specifically to methods and means for reproducing lines or sections of a text from a printing master on copy sheets, such as labels or cards, by means of a duplicator, work-planning machine or work-planning device in such a manner that reproduced lines or sections vary from sheet to sheet.

The novel method and means are primarily intended for the purposes of industrial work planning, the directions for the production being provided on a printing master, such as a mirror-script original from which copies can be made on moistened copy sheets, or on printing masters which have to inked for duplicating. The required piece-work labels, wage labels, material .labels, cards indicating process steps, time reo'ording cards, workshop orders and the like may be reproduced automatically from the printing master. In such cases, the copy sheets, for example the piece-work cards or wage labels, are each required to show a heading which does not change from sheet to sheet and a text which changes from sheet to sheet and which corresponds to different steps in the manufacture.

It has already been suggested employing ofiice printing machines for this purpose, which comprise printing devices specially constructed to operate line by line. Machines of this kind are, however, comparatively complicated since the devices for printing line by line have additionally to be advanced in a step-by-step manner either automatically or manually between succeeding printing operations so that on each operation the printing begins with a different line.

It is an object of the invention to provide simple and improved methods of and means for simultaneously reproducing different sections of a printing master on diflerent copy sheets, one on each.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of feeding means arranged on a table;

Fig. 2 is a section along the line A-B of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of a portion of a printing drum of a rotary duplicator with the feeding means arranged in front of the printing drum.

The invention consists in a method of reproducing lines or sections of a text from a printing master on copy sheets, such as labels or cards, by means of a duplicator, work-planning machine or work-planning device in such a manner that reproduced lines or sections vary from sheet to sheet, the method comprising the steps of superimposing a plurality of copy sheets on one another in overlying staggered relationship to form a staple, each sheet (except the first sheet) of said staple covering the preceding sheet in part, the non-covered, protruding, part of each sheet extending from an edge thereof and having the width of at least one line of the text on the printing master, arranging the printing master so that the lines thereon are substantially parallel to the said edge of each copy sheet during reproduction, and presenting all the copy sheets of the staple substantially simultaneously 'to the duplicator or the like for reproducing diiferent lines from the printing master on the protruding parts of different copy sheets of the staple. Preferably, the sheets abut against abutment members perpendicular to each other, at least one of the abutment members being substantially parallel and another substantially perpendicular to the lines or sections on the printing master.

By this method time may be saved, a fact which is important for industrial plants requiring a great number of difierent labels, because instead of a plurality of printing operations one for each sheet, only a single printing operation is required for spreading the directions for the production over a plurality of labels or cards.

When the method of the invention is used for industrial work planning, the last card of the staple of cards, which is not covered by a succeeding card may receive a heading simultaneously with the print of lines which change from card to card, while the remaining cards receive at first only lines changing from card to card and are not provided with the heading but receive the same in a second printing operation during which the text of the lines which were printed during the first printing operation are being covered.

Advantageously, the total width of each copy sheet does not exceed four times the width of the sections reproduced from the printing master on the said copy sheet.

Furthermore, a portion of the text on the printing master, which is excluded from being reproduced on any of the copy sheets of the staple may be screened by a covering sheet positioned in front of the printing master adjacent said portion of the text thereon. That portion of the first and/ or the last copy sheet of the staple which does not overlie a portion of a next adjacent sheet may be placed on a support arranged for equalizing the height of the staple.

A rotary duplicator may be employed, the printing master being attached to a rotatable printing drum of the rotary duplicator so that the lines of the text on the printing master extend in the direction of rotation of the printing drum, the abutment members being respectively substantially perpendicular and substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the printing drum.

A device for performing the method of the invention may comprise means for feeding the staple to the duplicator or the like with the copy sheets of the staple superimposed on one another in overlying relationship, the said feeding means comprising regularly distributed abutment members for releasably holding each copy sheet of the staple in a predetermined position on the feeding means, and a further abutment member or members extending substantially perpendicularly to the direction of the lines on the printing member.

The regularly distributed abutment members may comprise projections, such as pins, ledges, lugs, angle pieces or loop-like members, at least one for each copy sheet of the staple, the distance between the said abutment projections for immediately adjacent copy sheets corresponding to the width of the sections to be reproduced on each copy sheet, the further abutment member or members comprising each a projection, such as a lug or ledge for defining the position of the copy sheets of the staple in the direction of feed.

Advantageously, the regularly distributed abutment members comprise lugs integral with and stamped out of a base plate of the feeding means, the lugs forming acute angles with the base plate, holes being provided in the base plate, one adjacent each lug.

In order to be able to guide the feeding means securely and easily towards the printing master the base plate may be displaceable in the direction of the feed.

In order to achieve the arrest of the displaceable base plate in front of the printing master at the correct instant of time so that the labels, cards or the like to be printed can be gripped by the duplicator or the like, means may be provided for limiting the displacement of the base plate, the limiting means comprising an adjustable abutment or blocking member for adjusting the tension under which the copy sheets are presented to the duplicator or the like, the arrangement being such that when the base plate is displaced towards the printing member, the sheets are tensioned to form a bulge.

For facilitating displacing the base plate, the same may be mounted on rollers, each of the said rollers being combined with an auxiliary roller engaging a guide channel, for example a slot, in a table supporting the base plate, for guiding the base plate laterally.

The feeding means may be exchangeable against another feeding means for feeding sheets of different widths and/or for reproducing lines of different overall widths. Alternatively or additionally, the feeding means may be removable for allowing the reproduction of the entire text of the printing master on a single copy sheet.

As can be seen from the drawings, the embodiment shows the use of the feeding means in connection with a rotary duplicator.

The feeding means comprises a base plate 2 displaceable relatively to a printing drum 1 of a rotary duplicator provided in known manner with a printing master. Abutment members for labels or cards 3 are provided in the shape of lugs 4 which are stamped out of the base plate 2 in such a manner that the lugs remain connected to the base plate and are slightly bent upwards so as to form acute angles with the base plate. In order to secure that the feed of the labels or cards to the printing drum and their release from the lugs 4, when the labels or cards are gripped by the duplicator, are accurately effected, holes 5 are provided in the base plate 2 adjacent the lugs 4 so that the lugs 4 slightly bend the inserted labels or cards 3 correspondingly to the holes 5 and thereby facilitate the holding of the labels or cards whi'le nevertheless enabling the release of the same when gripped by the duplicator. A further abutment is provided on the feed- .ing means in the shape of an abutment ledge 6.

In order easily and securely to displace the feeding means relatively to the printing drum 1 and to guide the same, angular means 7 are provided on the base plate 2 which carry rollers mounted therein and rolling along a table 9. With these rollers auxiliary rollers 8 are associated which are guided in slots 10 provided in the table 9.

For limiting the forward displacement of the feeding means an abutment 11 is provided on the table 9 which comprises an adjustable abutment in the shape of a screw 12, whereby the tension of different kinds of paper of the labels or cards can be correspondingly adjusted.

It should be clearly understood that the embodiment described and illustrated is given by way of example only. Many modifications, omissions and additions, which will readily occur to those skilled in the art are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

We claim:

1. For use with a printing machine, a sheet feeding arrangement, comprising, in combination, supporting means; transporting roller means located adjacent said supporting means; a feeding table mounted on said supporting means movable in one direction toward and away from said transporting roller means; a plurality of first abutment means on said feeding table spaced from each other in a direction transverse to said one direction, each of said first abutment means extending in said one direc- 1 tion and adapted to engage the lateral edge of one sheet of a pile of sheets which partly overlap each other in said transverse direction; an adjustable stop means on said supporting means engaging and blocking said feeding table spaced a predetermined distance from said transporting roller means in a position in which said transporting roller means are adapted to engage and stop one transverse edge of each of said sheets so as to form a bulge in said sheets; and second abutment means secured to said feeding table projecting from the same, extending transverse to said one direction and adapted to engage the other transverse edges of said sheets so as to prevent sliding of said sheets in said one direction off said feeding table and to provide endwise pressure on said sheets during formation of the bulge.

2. For use with a duplicating machine, a sheet feeding arrangement, comprising, in combination, supporting means; transporting roller means located adjacent said supporting means; a feeding table mounted on said supporting means movable in one direction toward and away from said transporting roller means; a plurality of first abutment means on said feeding table spaced from each other in a direction transverse to said one direction, each of said first abutment means extending in said one direction and adapted to engage the lateral edge of one sheet of a pile of sheets which partly overlap each other in said transverse direction; an adjustable stop means on said supporting means engaging and blocking said feeding table spaced a predetermined distance from said transporting roller means in a position in which said transporting roller means are adapted to engage and stop one transverse edge of each of said sheets so as to form a bulge in said projecting from the same, extending transverse to said one direction and adapted to engage the other transverse edges of said sheets so as to prevent sliding of said sheets in said one direction ofi said feeding table and to provide endwise pressure on said sheets during formation of the bulge; and a printing drum having an axis extending in said transverse direction and being located on the side of said transporting roller means remote from said supporting means, said printing drum being adapted to support a duplicating master sheet in a position in which the lines thereof extend in circumferential direction of said printing drum and in said one direction during printing of said sheets for simultaneously printing on each of said sheets of said pile of transversely staggered sheets.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said first abutment means consists of at least two lugs spaced in said one direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,228,109 Gates Jan. 7, 1941 2,231,274 Marchev et al Feb. 11, 1941 2,277,924 Morrison Mar. 31, 1942 2,378,185 Chatterton a- June 12, 1945 2,392,031 Denyven et al. Jan. 1, 1946 2,449,770 Dempsey Sept. 21,1948 2,459,067 Erickson Jan. 11,1949 2,620,184 Paley Dec. 2, 1952 

